Hate Will Bring Us Together

BY RUSS WELLEN04.02.2007 05:52 | DISPATCHES

The hard right, to whom Hillary Clinton and Nancy Pelosi symbolize liberal beliefs, takes fiendish delight in bringing the wrath of God down on them.

This might offend Democratic Leadership Council types. But, true liberals, not to mention progressives, wonder why the hard right zeroes in on these two. According to National Journal rankings of Senate votes, Senator Clinton's record is the least liberal of the Democratic candidates. Also, her rankings have declined from 2003 to 2006.

Worse, Senator Clinton still operates under the assumption that the public still responds to a politician who's "resolute." Demonstrating an obstinacy and rigidity that would make President Bush blush, she clings to her October 2002 vote for the Iraq War Resolution. All this does is solidify her deification as "war goddess," in the immortal words of Antiwar.com's Justin Raimondo.

Congresswoman Pelosi's liberal image is equally as chimerical. She may have attached the establishment of benchmarks and an exit timeline to her recent bill funding the war. But Alexander Cockburn questions her plans for US troops now in Iraq.

He writes that her Website claims that "'U.S. troops remaining in Iraq may only be used for diplomatic protection, counterterrorism operations and training of Iraqi Security Forces.' But does this not bear an eerie resemblance to Bush's presurge war plan?"

He notes that, according to the bill, instead of coming home, the troops will be redeployed to Afghanistan. In other words, "the bill essentially adopts and enforces Bush's [emphasis added] war plan and attendant 'benchmarks.'" Worse, Cockburn adds, when it comes to Iran, "Nancy Pelosi, chastened by catcalls at the annual AIPAC convention, swiftly abandoned all talk of compelling Bush to seek congressional authorization to make war on Iran."

Pulling even fewer punches, Justin Raimondo writes: "The moment House Speaker Nancy Pelosi agreed to strip out a provision in her omnibus 'antiwar' bill that would have required the President to come to Congress before attacking Iran, the Iranian chapter of this long and bloody saga was semi-officially opened."

Nothing like laying the blame for allowing a military strike on Iran, should it happen, entirely at Congresswomen Pelosi's feet.

Raimondo's position gives me an idea. Just as libertarians like he and Pat Buchanan join hands with progressives on war issues in outlets like Antiwar.com, LewRockwell.com, Reason, and American Conservative, conservatives and progressives could join forces in sidelining Clinton and Pelosi. Once free of them, we could return to our own agendas.

Don't knock it until you've tried it. It's one of the few things my 85-year-old, Fox-o-phile father and I have in common.